This weekly roundup thread is intended for all culture war posts. 'Culture war' is vaguely defined, but it basically means controversial issues that fall along set tribal lines. Arguments over culture war issues generate a lot of heat and little light, and few deeply entrenched people ever change their minds. This thread is for voicing opinions and analyzing the state of the discussion while trying to optimize for light over heat.
Optimistically, we think that engaging with people you disagree with is worth your time, and so is being nice! Pessimistically, there are many dynamics that can lead discussions on Culture War topics to become unproductive. There's a human tendency to divide along tribal lines, praising your ingroup and vilifying your outgroup - and if you think you find it easy to criticize your ingroup, then it may be that your outgroup is not who you think it is. Extremists with opposing positions can feed off each other, highlighting each other's worst points to justify their own angry rhetoric, which becomes in turn a new example of bad behavior for the other side to highlight.
We would like to avoid these negative dynamics. Accordingly, we ask that you do not use this thread for waging the Culture War. Examples of waging the Culture War:
-
Shaming.
-
Attempting to 'build consensus' or enforce ideological conformity.
-
Making sweeping generalizations to vilify a group you dislike.
-
Recruiting for a cause.
-
Posting links that could be summarized as 'Boo outgroup!' Basically, if your content is 'Can you believe what Those People did this week?' then you should either refrain from posting, or do some very patient work to contextualize and/or steel-man the relevant viewpoint.
In general, you should argue to understand, not to win. This thread is not territory to be claimed by one group or another; indeed, the aim is to have many different viewpoints represented here. Thus, we also ask that you follow some guidelines:
-
Speak plainly. Avoid sarcasm and mockery. When disagreeing with someone, state your objections explicitly.
-
Be as precise and charitable as you can. Don't paraphrase unflatteringly.
-
Don't imply that someone said something they did not say, even if you think it follows from what they said.
-
Write like everyone is reading and you want them to be included in the discussion.
On an ad hoc basis, the mods will try to compile a list of the best posts/comments from the previous week, posted in Quality Contribution threads and archived at /r/TheThread. You may nominate a comment for this list by clicking on 'report' at the bottom of the post and typing 'Actually a quality contribution' as the report reason.

Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
You couldn't have crafted a more disgusting stereotype if you tried.
The reason why Austin replied was because Einhorn tried to get him to work on Sunday. A jew sabbath checking an intern, who sniffed him out and said no thanks.
Then they proceed to cry out in pain as they strike him.
WTF is “Sabbath checking”? What are you talking about?
First time I've seen the term, but I think it's pretty clear if you know the context.
Specifically, that the three Abrahamic religions have different days of the week as the Sabbath. Jews consider Saturday the Sabbath. Christians consider Sunday the Sabbath. Muslims consider Friday the Sabbath.
Hence, asking him to work on Sunday implicitly (if imprecisely) tests whether he's a practicing Christian, because Christians are not supposed to work on Sundays.
I can't speak for the Muslims, but the Christian view of this is, uh, complicated. IIRC Catholic doctrine still acknowledges Saturday as the official Sabbath, but because of the entire resurrection thing considers that obligation fulfilled, but Sunday to only functionally replace it.
Other Christian doctrines may vary too.
The tension is obvious enough that the Seventh Day Adventists exist as a denomination to assert that worship on Sunday is a corruption of Catholicism. In addition to their millenarianism, of course. It turns out when you accuse the entirety of Christianity of violating one of the commandments, you tend to have a pretty pessimistic view of the world.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
On paper that makes sense but I've never encountered any Christian who refuses to work on Sunday (I'm sure they exist but...), meanwhile many to most of the jews I know refuse to work on the Sabbath sometimes in comical ways, and Islam does the Islam thing.
Chick-fil-A, a national chicken fast food chain, never opens on Sunday. I think the reasons are religious.
Workers often have no control over their schedules, so it's usually up to the business owner to decide the work Sabbath schedule, if any.
More options
Context Copy link
A reverse situation is, of course, famously Chick-fil-a. The US obviously had blue laws in many places at one point, and shopping, working, and of course drinking on the Sabbath was once a matter of social opprobrium in the Bible Belt. That Christians generally don’t do this any more is one of the signs of the decline of strict religious practice among Christians.
In medicine I’m sure scheduling like that would override religious objection even for Christian Sabbatarians, especially since, famously, Jesus directly endorsed healing on the Sabbath. Theology in general considers medical care one of the things that permits Sunday working, like rescuing your ass from the ditch (as the good book saith).
Christian Sabbatarianism, especially outside of magisterial Protestantism, has always been more flexible than Jewish Sabbatarianism, and this is an approach of Nazarean vintage.
Yes you and someone else pointed out Chick-fil-a and now that you did ....no duh.
I've never had an exposure to individuals who think this way and I don't have a good handle on if they are anything more than a rounding error now. It's def part of Chick's brand at this point.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
The most compelling victim narrative usually wins in the court of public opinion.
It's a Goebbels quote.
Like I keep telling people when they ask why I'm reading Tolstoy, the classics are classics for a reason.
More options
Context Copy link
Ah, didn't know.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link